The most important aspect of a useful and engaging social media marketing campaign — one that actually talks to your potential paying customers — is fresh content. Content, of course, comes in many forms. Articles, links, videos, stories, images and photographs are all examples of content. A strong social media campaign consistently uses all of these pieces, rotating through them often and ensuring they are relevant to the business.

Images are a strong type of content in your social media campaign because as your potential customers surf the web, they are overloaded with information and they are usually in a hurry to get through it all. Pinterest and Instagram are so popular because they are all about images. The quickest way for your clients to absorb information about your business is through images.

So what types of images are the most useful? First and foremost, remember to use images that are relevant to your business and to your potential customers. If you commonly share images on your social media pages that have nothing to do with your brand — for instance, you own an insurance company and constantly post funny cat pictures — you’re not building credibility.

Post pictures of your work

If you own a window replacement business or a roofing company, then you’ll want to post pictures of some of the work you’ve completed. If you own a restaurant, catering business, or bakery, then by all means, post pictures of your food. People love food photos! Remember to use good pictures shot with a professional grade camera to highlight the best of your work.

Post pictures of people

Almost any business can post photos of people. Show us your employees, either during their regular workday (we like to see you working on our behalf) or in group shots having fun and bonding with one another (we like to know you treat your employees well). If you own a hair salon or med spa, ask your customers if you can take their photographs and post them to your social media sites. Most loyal customers will be happy to do that for you, and who doesn’t like to pretend they’re a local social media celebrity for a day!

Post tips and quotes on images

If you dabble in Photoshop or another easy graphic arts application, use a simple, clean, attractive image, which aligns with your brand, and type a tip or a quote onto the image. If you are a fitness trainer, you might post a quote such as “Happiness is a journey, not a destination” over an image of a beautiful sunrise, for instance. If you’re a professional organizer or decorator, you might post a picture of a tidy living room with a tip like, “Keep clutter to a minimum to maximize the size of your space.”

An added benefit to tips and quotes on images is that they are easily sharable. People love to re-post these types of images onto their own walls and news feeds, and all roads lead back to your business as the source.

Post infographics

Infographics are perhaps the most important kind of image because they really speak about what your business does and how you help your customers. Flow charts are the easiest type of infographic to explain, but these days, infographics have gotten so popular and visually appealing that entire marketing departments have been created to focus on this unique type of image. Like tips and quotes on images, they are easily sharable with credit going back to you as the source. A good infographic should be designed by a true creative professional or graphic artist and copywriter who have spent time getting to know you and your business.

Be consistent

All useful social media campaigns require consistency. So take time to post content across a variety of sites each day. Mix images with articles, stories, videos, and links to show that you are truly an expert in your type of business, and soon you’ll be the local go-to person in your industry. And don’t forget, images often make us smile, so have a little fun with it, too.